Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors

Where is DOT’s Freight Office?

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation has yet to stand up a government office crucial to freight transportation, a worrying sign that new infrastructure projects worth billions in federal dollars may not be receiving the attention and oversight they need.

DOT’s Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure and Policy (Freight Office), authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) enacted on Nov. 15, 2021, was given wide-ranging responsibilities related to funding and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/where-is-dots-freight-office

Rating Secretary Pete: Infrastructure boom or supply chain bust?

National exposure as a presidential candidate in the 2020 presidential election made Pete Buttigieg probably the most well-known U.S. transportation secretary in history when he was sworn in on Feb. 3, 2021.

He joined the Biden administration just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to wreak havoc on domestic supply chains, while at the same time President Biden was under pressure to deliver on a main pillar upon which his campaign was built: a transformational transportation infrastructure...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/rating-secretary-pete-infrastructure-boom-or-supply-chain-bust

DSC chat: Time to close the infrastructure gap

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Domestic Supply Chain Summit.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Unlocking the bipartisan infrastructure package.

DETAILS: With the long-awaited $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill finally signed into law on Nov. 15, the next questions are: What projects will get the money and when? Will the money flow in time to address the current supply chain crisis? In this fireside chat, freight policy expert Elaine Nessle provides insights.

SPEAKER: Nessle is the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dsc-chat-time-to-close-the-infrastructure-gap

Biden sets priorities, creates task force for infrastructure rollout

Just before signing into law the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on Monday, President Joe Biden laid out six priorities that a new infrastructure task force will use to guide the rollout of the historic funding package.

According to an executive order signed by Biden, those priorities include:

  • Invest public dollars efficiently, avoid waste and focus on measurable outcomes.
  • Buy American and increase the competitiveness of the U.S. economy, including through...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/biden-sets-priorities-creates-task-force-for-infrastructure-rollout

Senate approves truck equipment mandates, dispatcher oversight measure

The U.S. Senate approved a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill Tuesday that mandates several requirements for trucking previously approved by the U.S. House and will likely make it into a final bill.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was approved by a vote of 69-30 that was presided over by Vice President Kamala Harris, is the first major infrastructure package passed by the Senate chamber in decades. It injects $550 million of new funding into expanding and maintaining roads and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/senate-approves-truck-equipment-mandates-dispatcher-oversight-measure

DOT allots $1 billion in latest round of infrastructure grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is laying out $1 billion in the latest round of a competitive grant program that began in 2009 for freight projects.

DOT published on Tuesday a Notice of Funding Opportunity to apply for money through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, a renaming of what had been called “BUILD” grants under the Trump administration and “TIGER” grants under the Obama administration.

The Biden administration plans to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-allots-1b-in-latest-round-of-infrastructure-grants

Chao probe fallout: Concerns remain over freight project money

Results of an investigation into potential conflicts of interest involving former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao have renewed concerns about the agency’s ability to oversee a fair process when selecting grant winners for major infrastructure projects.

A report on the investigation’s findings released this week by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) inspector general (IG) — at the request of U.S. House Democrats in 2019 — found no evidence that Chao used her office to steer...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/chao-probe-fallout:-concerns-remain-over-freight-project-money

Rail groups split on Democrats’ infrastructure bill

A photograph on a train with a city landscape behind it.

A number of the railroad-related items listed in the 846-page, $500 billion infrastructure bill introduced by House Democrats this week could face some hot debate as it goes through Congress, judging by the reactions of rail trade groups and rail labor.

The bill, entitled Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America), is a five-year, $494 billion surface reauthorization bill unveiled on June 3 by the U.S. House and Transportation &...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/rail-groups-split-on-democrats-infrastructure-bill